Skip to main content
Log in

Factors affecting formation of agricultural entrepreneurship ecosystem: an evidence from Iran

  • Research
  • Published:
Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The role of startups and venture capital in the economy of countries is becoming more and more prominent. Some countries contribute to the formation and growth of a supportive ecosystem for businesses through formulation of appropriate policies and measures. The principal purpose of this research is to investigate the factors affecting formation of agricultural entrepreneurship ecosystem in Iran.

Methodology

This study was conducted in two phases. Firstly, a qualitative content analysis of selected articles was used to identify the influential factors in the agricultural entrepreneurship ecosystem. Secondly, structural equation modeling was performed to determine the impact of identified components on the Iranian agricultural entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Findings

The results of the first phase of this research showed that six components influence entrepreneurship ecosystem including markets, human capital, support, culture, financing, and policies. The required quantitative data was collected from a sample population of agricultural startup managers in Iran. The results show that all six components extracted from the literature had a positive and significant effect on agricultural entrepreneurship ecosystem in Iran while two of them have the greatest impact due to the cultural and economic characteristics of the regions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

It is possible to access the data if needed.

Code availability

Codes are available if needed.

Notes

  1. The Middle East and North Africa.

References

  • Acs, Z. J., Szerb, L., & Lloyd, A. (2017). Global entrepreneurship and development index 2017 (Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 1–10). Springer International Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Amolo, J., & Migiro, S. O. (2015). An entrepreneurial flair development: The role of an ecosystem. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 13(2), 495–505.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anadozie, C., Fonkam, M., & Cleron, J. P. (2022). Assessing mobile phone use in farming: The case of Nigerian rural farmers. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 14(2), 418–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Audretsch, D. B., Keilbach, M. C., & Lehmann, E. E. (2006). Entrepreneurship and economic growth. Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, E. S., & Kuckertz, A. (2016). Female entrepreneurship in startup ecosystems worldwide. Journal of Business Research, 69(11), 5163–5168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berthet, E. T., & Hickey, G. M. (2018). Organizing collective innovation in support of sustainable agro-ecosystems: The role of network management. Agricultural Systems, 165, 44–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boris, O., Simonov, A., & Parakina, V. (2022). Creation of favorable entrepreneurial ecosystems for the development of youth business in agricultural regions of the South of Russia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 949, 012143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bozsik, N., Ngo, D. M., Vasa, L. (2023). The effects of foreign direct investment on the performance of small-medium enterprises: The case of Vietnam. Journal of International Studies, 16(1).

  • Brown, R., & Mason, C. (2017). Looking inside the spiky bits: A critical review and conceptualization of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Small Business Economics, 49, 11–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christian, R. R. (2009). Concepts of ecosystem, level and scale. Journal of Ecology, 1, 34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, B. (2006). Sustainable valley entrepreneurial ecosystems. Business Strategy and the Environment, 15(1), 1–14.

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., Fehder, D. C., Hochberg, Y. V., & Murray, F. (2019). The design of startup accelerators. Research Policy, 48(7), 1781–1797.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, P. K. (2015). Building a local design and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Procedia Technology, 20, 258–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuervo, Á., Ribeiro, D., & Roig, S. (2007). Entrepreneurship: Concepts, theory and perspective. Introduction. Entrepreneurship: Concepts, theory and perspective (pp. 1–20). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Curveball, L. T. D. (2012). Cyprus entrepreneurship ecosystem: A roadmap for economic growth.

  • De Guzman, M. R. T., Kim, S., Taylor, S., & Padasas, I. (2020). Rural communities as a context for entrepreneurship: Exploring perceptions of youth and business owners. Journal of Rural Studies, 80, 45–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dias, C. S., Rodrigues, R. G., & Ferreira, J. J. (2019). Agricultural entrepreneurship: Going back to the basics. Journal of Rural Studies, 70, 125–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Entezari, Y. (2015). Building knowledge-based entrepreneurship ecosystems: Case of Iran. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 195, 1206–1215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Etana, D., Snelder, D. J., van Wesenbeeck, C. F., & de Cock Buning, T. (2021). The impact of adaptation to climate change and variability on the livelihood of smallholder farmers in central Ethiopia. Sustainability, 13(12), 6790.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, M., Francis, J., & Bercovitz, J. (2005). Creating a cluster while building a firm: Entrepreneurs and the formation of industrial clusters. Regional Studies, 39(1), 129–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fichter, K., & Tiemann, I. (2018). Factors influencing university support for sustainable entrepreneurship: Insights from explorative case studies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 175, 512–524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garud, R., Gehman, J., & Giuliani, A. P. (2015). Contextualizing entrepreneurial innovation: A narrative perspective. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 43(1), 80–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghobadi, O., & Ghodrati, A. (2010). Barriers to entrepreneurship development in Iran, Research project, 18.

  • Giraudo, E., Giudici, G., & Grilli, L. (2019). Entrepreneurship policy and the financing of young innovative companies: Evidence from the Italian Startup Act. Research Policy, 48(9), 103801.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gries, T., & Naudé, W. (2011). Entrepreneurship and human development: A capability approach. Journal of Public Economics, 95(3–4), 216–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gunes, S. (2012). Design entrepreneurship in product design education. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 51, 64–68.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Mena, J. A. (2012). An assessment of the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling in marketing research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40, 414–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hassink, J., Hulsink, W., & Grin, J. (2016). Entrepreneurship in agriculture and healthcare: Different entry strategies of care farmers. Journal of Rural Studies, 43, 27–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayter, C. S. (2016). Constraining entrepreneurial development: A knowledge-based view of social networks among academic entrepreneurs. Research Policy, 45(2), 475–490.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, S., Ionescu-Somers, A., Coduras Martínez, A., Guerrero, M., Menipaz, E., Boutaleb, F., Shay, J. (2023). Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2022/2023 Global Report: Adapting to a“ New Normal”.

  • Hjalager, A. M., & Kwiatkowski, G. (2018). Entrepreneurial implications, prospects and dilemmas in rural festivals. Journal of Rural Studies, 63, 217–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, H., Huang, T., Zeng, Q., & Zhang, S. (2016). The role of institutional entrepreneurship in building digital ecosystem: A case study of Red Collar Group (RCG). International Journal of Information Management, 36(3), 496–499.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, L., Bai, X., Huang, L., Huang, Y., & Han, G. (2023). How does college students’ entrepreneurial learning influence entrepreneurial intention: Evidence from China. Sustainability, 15(12), 9301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isenberg, D. (2011). The entrepreneurship ecosystem strategy as a new paradigm for economic policy: Principles for cultivating entrepreneurship. Ireland: Institute of International and European Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, H. P. (2004). Enhancing Delphi research: Methods and results. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 45(5), 504–511.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuckertz, A., Berger, E. S., & Brändle, L. (2020). Entrepreneurship and the sustainable bioeconomy transformation. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 37, 332–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kwakwa, P. A., Alhassan, H., & Adzawla, W. (2022). Environmental degradation effect on agricultural development: An aggregate and a sectoral evidence of carbon dioxide emissions from Ghana. Journal of Business and Socio-Economic Development, 2(1), 82–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, D. (2018). The ever-evolving business ecosystem. Business Horizons, 61(4), 497–499.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, D. R., Meek, W. R., Swab, R. G., & Markin, E. (2020). Access to resources and entrepreneurial well-being: A self-efficacy approach. Journal of Business Research, 120, 203–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meng, X., Zhang, J., Ren, G. (2022). An evaluation model of agricultural entrepreneurial ecological environment quality oriented to public health topic using the optimized neural network algorithm. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2022.

  • Moore, J. F. (1993). Predators and prey: A new ecology of competition. Harvard Business Review, 71(3), 75–86.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Müller, S., & Korsgaard, S. (2018). Resources and bridging: The role of spatial context in rural entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 30(1–2), 224–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz, P., Kibler, E., Mandakovic, V., & Amorós, J. E. (2022). Local entrepreneurial ecosystems as configural narratives: A new way of seeing and evaluating antecedents and outcomes. Research Policy, 51(9), 104065.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nasalski, Z. (2021). Determinants of agricultural farm participation in regional economic systems. Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 9(1), 374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norouzi, A., Sadighi, H., Abbasi, E., Fami, H. S., & Aski, H. M. (2023). Strategic analysis of startup ecosystem in Iran’s agricultural sector. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 13(1), 1.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, M. (2020). Modeling country entrepreneurial activity to inform entrepreneurial marketing research. Journal of Business Research, 113, 105–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pigford, A. A. E., Hickey, G. M., & Klerkx, L. (2018). Beyond agricultural innovation systems? Exploring an agricultural innovation ecosystems approach for niche design and development in sustainability transitions. Agricultural Systems, 164, 116–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Premadasa, M., Siyambalapitiya, J., Jayawardhana, K., & Fernando, I. (2023). Conceptualizing the role of social entrepreneurial orientation in the triple bottom line in the social enterprise context: Developing country perspective. Sustainability, 15(11), 8759.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ranjan, R. (2019). Deriving double dividends through linking payments for ecosystem services to environmental entrepreneurship: The case of the invasive weed Lantana camara. Ecological Economics, 164, 106380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rico, B., Wild, P., Alberton, S. (2017). Research Gate. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317972317_Global_Entrepreneurship_Monitor_20162017

  • Robertson, J., Pitt, L., & Ferreira, C. (2020). Entrepreneurial ecosystems and the public sector: A bibliographic analysis. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 72, 100862.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosen, F., & Olsson, P. (2013). Institutional entrepreneurs, global networks, and the emergence of international institutions for ecosystem-based management: The Coral Triangle Initiative. Marine Policy, 38, 195–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roundy, P. T., Brockman, B. K., & Bradshaw, M. (2017). The resilience of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 8, 99–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saghaian, S., Mohammadi, H., & Mohammadi, M. (2022). Factors affecting success of entrepreneurship in agribusinesses: Evidence from the city of Mashhad. Iran. Sustainability, 2022(14), 7700.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarma, S., & Sunny, S. A. (2017). Civic entrepreneurial ecosystems: Smart city emergence in Kansas City. Business Horizons, 60(6), 843–853.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiri, N., & Jafari-Sadeghi, V. (2022). Corporate social responsibility and green behavior: Towards sustainable food-business development. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spigel, B. (2017). The relational organization of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 41(1), 49–72.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Stam, E. (2015). Entrepreneurial ecosystems and regional policy: A sympathetic critique. European Planning Studies, 23(9), 1759–1769.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, J., Wu, S., & Yang, K. (2018). An ecosystemic framework for business sustainability. Business Horizons, 61(1), 59–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Surie, G. (2017). Creating the innovation ecosystem for renewable energy via social entrepreneurship: Insights from India. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 121, 184–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uslu, Y. D., Hancıoğlu, Y., & Demir, E. (2015). Applicability to green entrepreneurship in Turkey: A situation analysis. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 195, 1238–1245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Rijnsoever, F. J. (2020). Meeting, mating, and intermediating: How incubators can overcome weak network problems in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Research Policy, 49(1), 103884.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yıldırım, N., & Aşkun, O. B. (2012). Entrepreneurship intentions of public universities in Turkey: Going beyond education and research? Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 58, 953–963.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

NA: data analysis and writing the structure of the article. MM: designed the questionnaire. AN: collection of research data. This article has been read and approved by all the research authors.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Neda Alizadeh.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Alizadeh, N., Nikouei, A. & Mahmoodi, M. Factors affecting formation of agricultural entrepreneurship ecosystem: an evidence from Iran. J Glob Entrepr Res 14, 11 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40497-024-00381-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40497-024-00381-9

Keywords

JEL Classification

Navigation